


You Can Run On For A Long Time...

by inurclosets



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, Dyne Lives Au, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Friends to Enemies, Happy Ending, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Open Marriage, Open Relationships, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, phantom limb pains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:53:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25117201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inurclosets/pseuds/inurclosets
Summary: Despite pursuing a righteous cause, Barret had been avoiding an element of his past that brought him to AVALANCHE in the first place. Following the events of FF7R and merging with the timeline set by the original game, Barret is forced to confront that history with the small exception that he is now armed with the knowledge of what fate originally had in store. Recognizing this, Barret sets about preventing the loss of another life, no matter what struggles that may bring.
Relationships: Barret Wallace/Dyne
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	You Can Run On For A Long Time...

There was a tangle of bodies. 

Sweat, heat, and a flame that he could see from the corner of his eye. His breath was heavy, hands trailed over exposed skin.  
A familiar smirk, a smile.  
Hands over his back, along his abdomen. 

_ Shit _ , he hadn't expected it to go like this.

Barret groaned, filling his best friend up as his hips moved in short continuous bursts. Two hands, four hearts, one new life. Pleasure, love, heat.

Then in an instant it all changed and was made wrong. 

There was a tangle of bodies - crumpled under stone structures.

Sweat from trying to move the debris, verify the remains, give them a proper burial. 

Fire that never quite went out, that wasn’t a priority to put out because the fire got into the coal mine and would continue to burn even if buried.

Breath heavy, hands grasping at exposed skin, a familiar smirk, gunshots, agony.

  
  
  


Barret woke in a sweat, unconsciously yelling as he sat up in bed. His left arm went to his right, trying to numb the pain that flared in the void where his arm had been. He grimaced, throwing his fist back against the bed. The dry dusty heat felt too close even though they were still miles away. He cursed, trying to push the memories of intense sun and heat out of his mind, and instead thought of Marline. Marlene, his sweet darling daughter. The child of his loves. The last positive connection he had to his home.

He breathed in and focused on her. If there was one thing he could do, it was proactively create a better world for her. He could find a way to live for her, to give her the peace and happiness that wasn’t afforded to him in his life, even if it came at a cost. It was enough to ground him, reorienting his outlook of the day and the many miles more he had yet to travel to ensure that future would be available for Marlene. 

Barret gave a grumble as he got to his feet and took a shower to clear his head, singing loudly as if it were a type of spell to chase other miserable thoughts away. It usually worked which was why he continued to do such each and every morning. 

It wasn't until the team reassembled that Barret thought it fair to point out one thing, "Where we're heading… I ain't got a lot of fond memories. nor any friends. I just want you all to know that." 

"Where's that?" Cloud had asked sternly as he looked over the map. 

"Corel," Barret explained, pointing it out on the map, "Just passed these mountains here."

Cloud stared at the map a moment, cataloguing the route into the back of his mind before putting the piece away, “Is there going to be trouble?”  
Barret snorted, “Trouble? Of course there’s gonna be trouble, but rest assured ain’t none of it coming from me.”

“Then let’s move,” Cloud issued. His tone was cold, unbothered, but in his bones, Barret felt the nerves. He wasn’t certain if he should elaborate now or when they got there. At some point he’d have to let them all know how much he had fucked up advocating for Shinra to build a plant up there in the first place but now he was reaping the rewards of his actions through bloodshed and misery.

Barret tried to shake it off, humming to himself as the group started towards their destination.

. 

.

.

He hadn’t expected Corel to have changed much. If the coal was still burning, it wasn’t in a location anyone could see. Buildings were downed, temporary shelters were built but it seemed like only those with money got more than a tent to live in. Barret felt the shame creep up on him as they passed a graveyard. It had expanded since he left Corel three years ago. He was afraid to step inside and see the names though Tifa, Aerith, and Cloud all diverged to investigate. Barret cursed to himself, glancing at Red who appeared as though he couldn’t care less.

“You cool with all of this?” Barret asked.

Red flicked his tail and glanced over, “The graveyard or passing through town?”

Barret frowned, “Stopping to pay respects like this…”

Red glanced away, looking at Corel itself, “It’s not uncommon and generally considered good manners. I could see how it might stir some unfavorable memories.”

“I just…” Barret clenched his fist and drew in a deep breath, “Don’t need nothing reminding me more than I already do. Leaving this place, I thought maybe I could do all of them justice. I’m not ready to face all the people who died here. The living ain’t got nothing on the dead.”

“Because they return to the life stream?” Red asked, “...I see now.”

“What?” Barret asked defensively.

“If the Cetra are to be believed, the life stream is what produces mako and if mako is the production of the life stream, then it’s possible your loved ones are used to the benefit of a select few,” Red explained, “Eliminating Shinra would resolve that.”

“It ain’t just about the life stream,” Barret huffed, “But putting it like that just makes me even more pissed off. Shinra’s the damn reason this place looks like this. They’re the reason these people died and yet I gotta be the one to bear their burden of their greed? It’s bullshit.”

Red hummed, “I’m sensing I don’t have the full story but no matter, I shall not press.”

Barret wasn’t sure if he should be insulted or relieved, grumbling as the three returned.

“Barret,” Tifa started with a sympathetic look in her eyes, “Wallace… Was that your-?”  
“Wife,” Barret looked away, grateful that he had made the decision to wear his sunglasses, “Yeah.”  
“Marlene’s mother…?” Tifa frowned.

Barret turned away, not wanting to get into it now, “Let’s just head into town. It’ll be a pain in the ass but there shouldn’t be any issues with letting us through.”

“We’re going to the Gold Saucer, right?” Cloud reconfirmed with everyone, receiving nods in unison before once again taking the lead, “Alright then. Let’s move out.”

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

There was a ghost he'd been avoiding for years, the only issue was, a ghost might be easier to deal with. 

No, Barret had to own up to his mistakes. Trying to bury it just like everything else. He knew the real reason he fled Coral and took Marlene, he just didn't know what to expect if it was true and Gods it was true. 

With the intensity of the sun, Barret could barely make out his face, but this felt familiar, like something he had seen when defeating Fate. 

"You got every reason in the world to be mad at me right now," Barret started, baring his soul to the father of his daughter, even if Marlene wasn't his entirely, "I fucked up. I made the worst decision I could have ever made and every day that went by I asked myself why I kept running. What was I so afraid of if it was true? If you were alive? You got every reason to want to shoot me right now." 

Dyne turned to him slow. His face blocked by rays of sun reflecting off the heated earth. Barret licked goes lips, trying to gauge the silence of his response. 

"We gonna do this?" Barret asked, "Cause I got a lot to make up for and I'm gonna make you work for it, but I think we'll both be better for a talk after." He steeled himself, a shot went off in the ground to his right. Barret drew in a breath and glanced over, "You know, I heard that there was someone else who got the same surgery as me. Dyne, I--..." 

"Strange…" Dyne spoke softly to cut Barret off, "I hear her voice, Eleanor's voice. She's begging me not to hate your guts right now." 

It hurt Barret to hear that, but he took it, shutting his eyes for a moment of prayer as he hoped he could hear her again too, "Well let me have it then. I'll take it. I'll bear your agony, but after, you gotta let me talk. Then after, you gotta lot of explainin’ to do." 

Dyna looked hollowed when Barret had finally caught a glimpse of his face. Dyne stepped forward just enough to change the way the light reflected up just enough to allow Barret to see how weathered Dyne had become over the past few years. His heart fell. His best friend, his.. 

"Explanation? You want an explanation for all those people I killed?" Dyne asked, his voice rasped as if deprived of proper hydration for too long.

"No, I want--" Barret started but Dyne interjected.

"Cause I want to destroy everything," Dyne shot to Barret’s left and walked a few places before shooting to the right, “The people of this city. The city itself." He aimed at Barret's feet, "The..."

**_BANG_ **

"Whole." 

**_BANG_ **

"World."

**_BANG_ ** .

He turned his back to Barret, standing before a deep ravine which echoed an image of familiarity through Barret's mind. Something shared by fate. Something…

He dove at Dyne pinning him to the ground," You hear a damn thing I just said? I ain't letting you go easy! You ain't gotta bear this burden alone! "

"Get off me!" Dyne thrashed, attempting to take aim and shoot but the barrel was knocked away with Barret’s gun arm and pinned Dyne’s to the dirt. 

"You want to destroy everything? Fine That means you gotta destroy me too!" Barret confronted him seriously, fighting against every thrash and maneuver Dyne attempted to break free.

Dyne headbutt him distracting Barret long enough to break out of the pin and scramble to his feet, "I lost everything! Eleanor! Marlene!" 

"Marlene's fine! She’s alive!" Barret informed him, getting to his feet as he prepared to fight, "She's back in Midgar with a lovely woman by the name of Elmyra Gainsborough. She's waiting on me to come back but I'm sure she wouldn't mind seeing her real daddy either." 

It was enough to make Dyne freeze, "Marlene… Is alive?" 

"Yeah, I found her…" Barret paused. No the memory was wrong now, or was it ever a memory to begin with? Barret put a hand to his forehead as he tried to figure out what was what. 

"Eleanor's alone by herself… And I got Marlene to look after," Dyne uttered to himself, as if putting a new plan together, "Marlene wants to see her mother, doesn't she?" 

"Dyne what the hell are you talking about?!" Barret pleading before the man began shooting at him half heartedly, bullets grazed past him, catching his exposed skin. 

Barret protected his head and torso as best he could, "Dyne, I can't lose you too.” He felt defeated as Dyne suddenly aimed and fired at Barret with enough focus that he couldn’t break his guard, “You.. Gonna ignore Myrna on all this? My wife? You just said Eleanor ain't got nobody to take care of her but what about my wife, Dyne!? The fuck you think Myrna would want you insulting their memory like that?! Insulting Eleanor like that?! They as much of your life as they were each others! As they were of mine! " The words ripped out of him, choked out of him. If he couldn't be vulnerable now, then would he ever have the chance? 

Dyne's shots slowed as the words slowly drove into him. His arm dropped, his shoulders slumped and he took a step back. 

_ No _ . 

Barret rushed him, pinning Dyne to the ground again but this time like his life depended in it, "I can't lose you again! I lost too much already! It feels like everywhere I go, I got this curse I carry with me. I keep losing the ones I love one after another…. You, Myrna, Eleanor. I thought Marlene was gone but I found her, raised her back to health. I couldn't just… Lose her too. "

Dyne wasn't fighting him but he was looking at his gun arm with a miserable expression, "I lost something irreplaceable back then… Something that wasn't just my arm. I don't… I don't know where I went wrong. "

"So atone for it, "Barret stated, his one hand gripping Dyne's shirt tight, "Do you really think Eleanor would want you doing what you're doing? You two worked so hard to bring life into this world…" 

Dyne's expression gained weight, "Barret… I want to destroy everything…. Everything. This crazy world. Even--" 

"Don't say it," Barret cut him off, "I know what you're gonna say. Don't say it. You find something, right now that you don't want to destroy. I'll give you a hand, you've done a piss poor job of killing me so far." 

Dyne raised his gaze to Barret. 

"Am I wrong? I'm still standing, breathing. You got Eleanor. You hear her, somehow, someway," Barret's grip relaxed only slightly, "You know… It's said the Cetra are the ones who can feel the spirits of those who've returned to Gaia… You gonna tell me your interest in that culture doesn't stream from…" 

"Stop it," Dyne grimaced, "Stop." 

"I know a Cetra, she’s supposedly the last of their kind," Barret went on anyways, "I bet if you met her, you'd immediately feel like you wouldn't want to destroy anything ever again." 

"Barret--" Dyne continued to object. 

"You and Marlene probably have way more in common than you think. Just thinking about how she'd get to have a home with two daddies-" Barret was starting to get choked up, already imagining her face as she came up to greet them, "You gotta-" 

"She wouldn't even recognize me," Dyne countered. 

Barret felt a weight in his chest as he looked down at Dyne, stunned into silence as something warm cascaded down his cheek.

"How old was she back then? Face it, she won't even recognize me." Dyne gave Barret a sullen look. 

"That don't matter," Barret shook Dyne gently as his vision began to blue, "This ain't about what was, Dyne, don't you get that?! This is about making amends! Recognizing failures, and honouring the past! You still breathing! You got time to decide how you want to live if you give it one more second… One more minute… An hour, a day! You just gotta breathe with me. Please… "

Dyne, to Barret's surprise, did. He didn’t looked convinced and kept trying to avoid Barret’s gaze, by staring past him. But he listened, drawing breaths in and out until they gradually fell in time with Barret's own. It felt intimate in a manner Barret could faintly recall years before.

_ Shit _ . 

Barret realized, pressing his forehead to Dyne's, "You thought I was gone too, huh?" 

Dyne's non gun arm slung over Barret's back, pulling him close. His mouth pressed against Barret's neck, stubble and all, as he muttered, "I hate you so much." 

"Yeah, you've got a right to. I fucked up,"Barret hugged him back, breathing in heavy," I fucked up and you've got every right to hate my rotten guts."

"Why didn't you come find me?" Dyne whispered. 

Barret curled his head towards Dyne's and allowed himself this moment. Allowed himself to feel the overwhelming joy and misery of seeing Dyne alive again. His breath hitched, forcing himself to confront those fears he had been avoiding, "I was afraid you'd blame me like everyone else. For your arm. For your home. For Eleanor. For Marlene. For Myrna. The town. The reactor. I deserve it… I fucked up. Ain't no undoing what was done." 

"What are you gonna do next..?" Dyne asked softly. He knew Barret. No matter how much time and distance and horrible actions were put between them, Barret knew that question was equal parts a challenge as it was Dyne allowing himself to feel hope.

"I'm gonna live," Barret swallowed harshly, unable to hide how much his body was shaking, "What are you gonna do…? 

"Not sure yet, "Dyne confessed, "But I'm gonna take a moment to breathe."

"Good choice," Barret gave a light chuckle, "Let me know when you're ready to do more than that."

"....This is embarrassing," Dyne remarked, glancing passed Barret, "Why are there people watching us?"

"They're my friends. ...My new family. You'll be welcome to join us. We're trying to save the planet and reduce the suffering in it."

"Hmph," the small noise implied Dyne’s judgement but he didn’t seem particularly resistant. 

So Barret elaborated, "Ain't none of us perfect and we ain't trying to be but… I'd appreciate it if you at least considered tagging asking. Selfishly because I ain't ready to give up seeing your face everyday."

"I could kill you in your sleep." 

"What kind of edgy bullshit is that?" Barret scoffed, "The hell I just tell you about breathing? You get thoughts in life like that, you sleep in my tent-" The words were out before he realized how that made him sound and felt a sudden heat in his cheeks, "-and we'll get you breathing before you act on any impulses." 

Dyne stared at him a moment then smirked, "Your tent huh?"

"Shut up! You just let a grown man cry on top of you!" Barret bickered back. 

Dyne's smirk only grew, "Wouldn't be the first time." Barret felt immediately scandalized. The expression, Barret’s reaction, seen by Dyne and Dyne alone, spurred a laugh which had Dyne kicking his legs as Barret berated him, "The hell you--!! You can't just say shit like that after giving an emotional rollercoaster! The hell I'm supposed to tell the others, huh?" 

"You sleeping with others?" Dyne asked with the same cocky grin. Barret loved and hated seeing that attribute back on his friend's face but he'd take it. He could take it. 

So he spun it back around, "I've become a left handed man, there only ever been one perfect match for me." 

Dyne's expression matched the scandalized appearance Barret held before and earned a bullish laugh as a result. 

. 

. 

. 

.

.

The journey hadn’t been particularly kind to either of them. Barret hadn’t anticipated how much restless sleep he’d get with Dyne’s constant mutterings and groans. Barret thought he was bad, or that Cloud was bad but Dyne… Dyne’s night terrors, more specifically, were another beast entirely.

“I can hear them,” Dyne would say frequently when Barret woke him from those dreams. Aerith had done a lot to help him. To help him verbalize the sensations and imagery he seemed to receive unconsciously from the planet.

“I think he might be a Cetra too,” she had mentioned to Barret privately after one of her discussions with Dyne, “Marlene always gave the impression that she might be too.”

Barret didn’t know what to do with that information but it made Barret want to protect the three of them all the more. On those nights, that fact grounded him. Made him endure the suffering Dyne felt and helped Barret carry that burden with him as much as he could.

There were a lot of tears, a lot of self loathing, and even more weariness when they got back on the road time and time again. Barret never let Dyne wander too far from his sight which occasionally became a point of contention. Close calls, suicide attempts, the turmoil of the journey generated by Shinra or Sephiroth often overwhelmed Dyne to the point of breaking down, of making fresh threats, and attempts on his life or lashing out at the lives of other.

It was becoming detrimental, to the point where Barret realized Dyne desperately needed a break. Some sort of win. He had voiced his disbelief that Marlene was even alive so when the opportunity finally arrived, Barret was eager to take him to Marlene so Dyne could meet his daughter again. Their daughter.

Dyne was…

Barret had been watching the signs of stress rise in his best friend. First it started with distractions. Sex, or Dyne’s efforts to initiate such gradually increased over the weeks of travel. If Dyne wasn’t thoroughly exhausted by the end, the night terrors ran rampant. It frequently resulted in screaming and crying until Barret could coax him down. If he didn’t wake soon enough, he’d find Dyne breathing, trying to keep himself from taking the next step. Barret couldn’t recall the last time he’d slept more than five hours a night but he didn’t want to risk the world of losing Dyne like he’d lost so many others. 

They’d often hold each other, muttering their fears quietly to one another until they could fall asleep or start their day.

One relief for Barret was the fact that Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge had seemingly escaped the deaths fate predicted for them. The moment haunting the back of his mind when he saw them, but relief came with the reunion and with that reunion came…

Marlene.

Dyne was overwhelmed just meeting the three who had long since recovered from their injuries but they welcomed him as if he had always been a part of their crew immediately. Approaching the house, it was apparent that Dyne’s fears were eating him inside. He kept himself distanced from the door even as Barret walked up and gave a knock, waiting anxiously before Elmyra pulled the door open, “Oh! ..Marlene is upstairs. Is…”

“Everything is fine,” he assured her, pulling Elmyra into a quick embrace, “There ain’t nothing I can do to tell you how grateful I am you’ve been taking care of Marlene for me.”

“As long as you’ve been taking care of Aerith,” she gave Barret a small but concerned smile all her own. That parental worry permeating her brow.

Barret nodded, “You know it. Surprised she hasn’t been back to see you yet but I suppose she’s busy with other things.”

“Other things?” Elmyra chuckled, “What could be more important that relieving her mother of a bit of stress?”

“Boy troubles,” Barret joked, “I’ll tell her to visit. Ain’t right to keep you worrying like this.”

“I’d appreciate it,” Elmyra regarded, stepping aside as Barret broke the embrace,” And whose this?”

Dyne gave her a defensive look, then glanced away.

“This is Dyne,” Barret gestured, “Marlene’s other father.”

Elmyra’s expression changed dramatically, surprise spread across her face as she stepped back to allow them both access into her house, “Oh! My apologies then. I’m sure you’ll need a moment then.”  
“Appreciate it,” Barret nodded and gestured to Dyne to follow.

Reluctantly, Dyne shadowed Barret, his gaze never meeting Elmyra’s as he slunk past into her home. He followed Barret up the stairs, though he seemed to change his mind about halfway up and started back down which was when Barret went down to fetch him and direct him up the rest of the way with hands on Dyne’s shoulders.

“Barret-” Dyne retorted but still moved up the steps.

At the very top on the balcony overlooking the incredible garden was Marlene scribbling a drawing in crayon as she laid on the floor. At the creak of the floorboards, she glanced over her shoulder. Eyes widened. She scrambled to her feet and sprinted towards the two of them. Her arms wrapped around Dyne’s leg immediately and all worry the man had melted away.

Barret wrapped his arms around Dyne’s shoulders, giving him a light squeeze before pressing a quick kiss to the man’s cheek. He could feel a dampness against his lips as he pulled away and Marlene stood pressed against Dyne a moment longer before looking up at him with a relief all her own, “Daddy…”

Dyne’s breath hitched, “....Hi Sweetheart.”

Marlene beamed at him and Barret gave her a small wink back as she hugged Dyne’s leg again, “I missed you.”

“I missed you too…” Dyne’s voice broke in the middle as he tried to keep composure. As much as Barret wanted his moment with Marlene, Dyne needed this more. He needed to see what an incredible young girl Marlene had become. He needed to become invested in the life he helped create.

“I can’t do this without you,” Barret reminded Dyne softly, in a way he hoped Marlene wouldn’t hear. Dyne drew in a breath and pulled away from Barret to give Marlene a hug, “What have you been up to since I’ve been away?”

“Drawing!” She informed him simply, “Daddy and Papa have been busy! Want to see?”

“Sure,” Dyne allowed himself to be led from the porch to Marlene’s room where the walls were littered with drawings Marlene had concocted of Barret’s various experiences over the past few months and explained them all in depth.  
She pointed and talked about one to the next while holding Dyne’s hand firmly and occasionally smiled back at Barret when he made the odd scoff at her summary at the events he had lived.

He’d never expected Aerith to be so right about either of them. He never would have expected his life to include so many Cetra.

  
  


“Marlene,” Barret asked once she had finished sharing her in depth story about all the various events she had recreated as simplistic drawings, “How’d you feel about having two daddies from now on?”

Her eyes lit up, and she bounded over to Barret, excited to have him catch her and swing her up onto his shoulder, “I’d love that!!”

Barret chuckled and gave Dyne a heartfelt glance, a misty feeling settling back in his eyes as he looked at Dyne’s defeated yet relieved disposition.

“...I guess you’ve got two dad’s then,” Dyne confessed, “Sorry I haven’t been around…”

Marlene shook her head, smiling at Dyne, “It’s okay! You’re here now!”

Barret gave Marlene a small wink which broke her into a small fit of content giggling as he walked back to Dyne, “You know Marlene, you gotta get used to differentiating us in that case.”

Marlene thought about that and pointed to Dyne, “Daddy.” Then she tilted her head gently against Barret’s, “Papa.”

Barret gave her an impressed nod, “I can live with that.”

Dyne gave a small laugh, “I… It’ll take some getting used to for me. Can you be patient with me?”

Marlene nodded, “Welcome home, daddy.”

Dyne’s expression softened, “Yeah…”

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Barret would not have predicted that in hiring some blond merc on Tifa’s word would have led him through a whirlwind to saving the world but as the dust settled and a new home was made, Barret took comfort in the fact that he had the opportunity lay with Dyne every night and see Marlene every day. Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge supported him by working towards a better future or stepping in to babysit when Barret had to step out to actively participate in change.

Having Marlene back in his life gave Dyne something he could hold onto and actively rationalize against the negative thoughts that frequently plagued his mind. He had taken a lot of steps in the right direction but it was an ongoing battle that kept Barret at home with his family more often than he might have otherwise thought to. The world needed him, but his family did too and the longer he nurtured those relationships, the more he realized that he could find a balance between being a caretaker and an activist. Neither one overstepped or encroached on the other.

He kissed Dyne daily, professed his love, and prayed to Eleanor and Myrna every day. He wanted their blessings, he wanted to know that the pain he had brought them wasn’t being exacerbated with the way he had chosen to live his life beyond them.

Every time those thoughts plagued him, it seemed like either Dyne or Marlene would have just the right words to set him back on course.

He was blessed.

He could find peace.

He could make the world a better place.

  
  


And the world rewarded him in turn, providing him with moments of peace and love, like watching Dyne read to Marlene before putting her to bed. It was those little pleasures that motivated Barret to create a new way of living for himself and for those he cared about.

  
  
  
  


Hadn’t that always been what his journey been aimed towards?

**Author's Note:**

> At some point I plan to put a collection of these FF7 stories I've been writing together as a lot of them follow the same premise of "What I'd like to see happen in sequels of FF7R" and just in case it wasn't totally apparent from the tags and such, I headcanon Barret as having been in a polyamorous relationship with his wife, Myrna, alongside Eleanor, and Dyne, so I wanted to explore that dynamic as well as how the loss of that relationship has motivated and changed Barret both in OG vs. the remake.
> 
> There's a few emotional beats in this story that i felt like I could have strengthened but I hope you enjoyed it if you've read it to the end!  
> (also I'm really surprised Barret/Dyne isn't really a ship that gets more love? There's so much potential here that I really want to expand on and explore between my other projects).  
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
